An Unbiased Look at Andre Dirrell

I have to congratulate Carl Froch on reclaiming the WBC belt against Arthur Abraham in Helsinki last night but a small part of me can’t help thinking “Froch you robbing bastard, give the belt to talented Andre Dirrell - the rightful owner!”

You all know what I’m talking about.

Dirrell was shafted that night in Nottingham – he was metaphorically bent over while Froch and the scum–sucking Euro public lubed-up. The Matrix may be too much of a gentleman to complain – and Dirrell is without question a gentleman (and a badass) – but I’m certainly not.

We all know that Dirrell is not only the people’s champion but the rightful WBC champ. Even most Euro’s think this. In a poll conducted by Badger’s Today magazine in London, Europe, 92.37% of the respondents said that Dirrell won the fight. That’s right, even the Euro’s know that Dirrell won the fight and THEY WERE THE ONE’S WHO ROBBED HIM!

As if this grave injustice was not enough, Dirrell has been done again – this time by the professional dumbasses at Ring magazine. Following Paul Williams knockout loss to Sergio Martinez, they updated their Pound4Pound list and Dirrell WAS NOT EVEN IN THE TOP 10!?! This is insanity, words almost fail me. How do these ignoramuses make a career out of boxing writing? Ask any man on the street where Dirrell rates on the Pound4Pound list and 9 times out of 10 they will say No.2 between Manny and Floyd and they are absolutely right... No.2 until Manny stops ducking Dirrell and actually comes to 168 lbs to face him. Then the Matrix will be rightfully installed at No.1 once he gives Manny the beat-down of his life.

Even when this happens – and there is no certainty it will happen because we know Manny has ducked black American boxers like Fast Eddie Chambers his whole career – but when it does happen, Ring magazine still might not recognise his achievements – probably put him in at No.4 or something. Sometimes when you’re Andre Dirrell, you can’t win, even when you win. Just like in Nottingham.

Insults and robberies like this would be enough to end the career of a lesser boxer than Dirrell, or at least get them very depressed. But Dirrell is no ordinary man or boxer. Here are the reasons why he is both a formidable fighter and human being:


Dirrell Has Had a Movie Named After Him
Dirrell was only a 14-year-old amateur when filmmakers the Wachowski brothers saw one of his fights and were simply blown away by his speed, movement and reflexes. They were so inspired they made the Matrix trilogy and named it after him. I know boxers like Muhammed Ali have had biopics made about them once they were old men but how many boxers have inspired a major motion picture when they were 14 years old? That’s right, nobody!


Dirrell is a Boxing Innovator
Lets’ think back to the Arthur Abraham fight. Dirrell won this when he was knocked-out on the canvas and his opponent was on his feet looking a bit confused. Dirrell is a pioneer, a ground-breaker, a visionary, an innovator. How many other boxers have won a fight WHEN THEY GOT KNOCKED OUT? Right again, nobody!


Dirrell has the Best Medical Team Behind Him
Dirrell has a great family doctor but we all know who I’m really talking about here. Yep, the world’s foremost neurologist, Dr. Shawhi. In the modern boxing game you really need a great neurologist and they don’t come any better than Dr Shawhi. Think back again to the illegal knock-out by Arthur Abraham, well Dirrell’s promoter Gary Shaw said soon after the fight that the Matrix had undergone a battery of neurological tests and had been given a clean bill of health. Do you know why? Because Showtime obviously appointed some dumbass neurologist to oversee the tests, who wouldn’t know a stethoscope from a dildo. The doctor (and I use that term loosely) was probably from some backward, third world, tin-pot dictatorship and had no business practicing medicine in the number one country in the world, let alone overseeing an elite fighter of Dirrell’s calibre.

Thank God for Dr. Shawhi (and let’s not forget the family doctor who first referred Dirrell to him). Now, under Shawhi’s guidance, Dirrell has suggested on Twitter that he will be fighting in the New Year. It’s only a month and a half or so since the injury was announced – that’s how good his neurologist is! Dr Shawhi is to the medical world what Dirrell is to the boxing world... the best!


Dirrell is a Compassionate Man
Early on in the Froch fight, Dirrell was outclassing the Euro so badly that he actually began to feel very sorry for him. Froch’s family, friends and girlfriend we’re all witnessing the humiliation and he could see that Froch was about to start crying, so he made a resolution right then and there that every time Froch missed a punch he would give him a cuddle to make him feel better. When the final bell rang out, Dirrell had given Froch 1784 cuddles. I know, I counted. Dirrell is a class act but sometimes he can be too nice for his own good, as two of the judges were clearly confused having never experienced this level of humanity and mistakenly awarded the fight to Froch.


Dirrell is a Great Friend
Dirrell loves his friends and he always wants the best for them. He will put a consoling arm round their shoulders when they get a bit sad, he will laugh with them as they share a joke in the bowling alley, he will take quiet moonlight walks with them in the park and he will give them a few bucks now and then because they are from the ghetto BUT what he will not do UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES is punch them in the face. We all know what a great friend Dirrell is to Andre Ward and he simply was not prepared to punch him in the face. Period. Would you punch your best friend in the face? I know I wouldn’t. And let’s say he did, once he crossed that line, what’s to stop him punching his grandfather in the face or his uncle Leon? Hell, what’s to stop him punching his wife in the face? Well Dirrell simply will not entertain that type of behaviour, he loves his friends and family and will not PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE! Anyway, Dr. Shawhi expertly spotted the neurological symptoms that Dirrell was suffering at that time, so all this is a moot point.


I could go on talking about how great Dirrell is all night, but I have to make my dinner, so I'll leave it on this note: 2011 is going to be Dirrell's year! Manny he's coming for you! USA USA USA...

Amir Khan: Class or Glass?

Amir Khan (23 -1, 17 KOs) Vs. Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs) at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on 11th December is an explosive match-up that is probably the most compelling fight of 2010. Its significance transcends the mere entertainment value of the two marquee combatants involved; indeed the real intrigue lies in the fact that this fight should definitively answer the questions which have been hovering over Khan since at least 2008. Is he the glass-jawed, hype-job his many detractors claim? Or will he prove that Maidana, like Paul Malignaggi, Dmitriy Salita and Andriy Kotelnik before him, are nothing more than footnotes on his rise to ultimate pound-for-pound glory?

Currently it is impossible for a journalist to write an article about Khan without mentioning his suspect chin and I’m not about to reinvent the wheel here. Since his comprehensive first round knock-out to the limited Breidis Prescott in 2008, his chin has remained the metaphorical elephant in the room. It’s difficult for any fighter to shrug off the taint of a first round knock-out but let’s not forget Khan was also knocked down by the light-punching Willie Limond and the game-but-ordinary Michael Gomez.

Khan and his camp have posited various theories as to why their man is no longer chinny, such as he was ‘top-heavy’ and is now properly proportioned and he was weight drained trying to make 135 lbs. Normally this kind of talk could be dismissed as typical promoter guff but fight fans should consider that Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach is nobody’s fool. Manny Pacquiao’s retirement doesn’t look too far off and Khan is clearly being primed to succeed him as the jewel in the Wild Card crown. Would Roach be grooming Khan for greatness if he had a glass jaw?

Roach himself believes technical deficiencies were largely responsible for Khan’s rubber legs. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “It wasn’t so much that his chin is suspect but that his balance wasn’t right for absorbing punches and he was so impatient to land the knock-out that he left himself open. Now he is much lighter on his feet and he lets his speed and his skill set him for the KO without walking on to big punches.”

The beauty of this matchup is that Khan is going in against a noted knock-out artist – probably the foremost puncher in the light-welterweight division. The whole glass jaw debate will finally be laid to rest – one way or another – once Maidana lands one on the button. That’s where the real intrigue lies. In every other regard this fight is a total mismatch, Khan is capable of boxing rings around him all night. The little Argentinian will be chasing shadows while he eats leather-after-leather but all it could take is one Hail Mary bomb from Maidana and that’s all she wrote.

I have always been of the persuasion that a bad chin is the one weakness in a boxer that cannot be improved but, on the other hand, I believe it is too soon in Khan’s career to write him off as a glass-jawed wonder. Time will tell. As for Maidana, he looked very ordinary in his last fight against journeyman DeMarcus Corley and there are also question marks over his lifestyle and conditioning. To paraphrase Khan, he looked ‘pudgy’ at the press conference, as if he may have had a few too many chorizos. We know from fighters like Roberto Duran and Ricky Hatton that this approach will come back to haunt you sooner or later. So all things considered, I don’t fancy his chances. Maidana gets very ragged by the mid-point of fights and Khan should pick him off with increasing regularity and eventually stop him late.

The thing is though, with Khan and that chin you just never know…

Froch Vs. Abraham: To Out-Slug the Slugger

Carl Froch (26 - 1, 20 KOs) Vs. Arthur Abraham (31 - 1, 25 KOs) has not only slugfest written all over it but also potentially fight of the Super Six. These two are no shrinking violets; typically both enter a bout fully prepared to wage a war of attrition. Sure they will get caught, that’s par for the course, but they know they can take the hit, whereas – statistically speaking – their opponents rarely do. Their stamina is formidable – in the final rounds they can be most effective when their adversary begins to flag – just like thoroughbreds finding that extra yard of pace with the winning line in site. It will come as no surprise to suggest this will not be a highly technical fight, we are not talking Ray Leonard or Pernell Whitaker here, but you really cannot beat some European mano a mano boxing for sheer entertainment value and I, for one, cannot wait.

Froch is without question tough as old boots but he has surprised better pundits than me by reaching such an elite level in his career. He has always had great power, an iron chin and bucket-loads of heart but the technical deficiencies in his game looked like prohibiting him from feeding at the top table. Infuriatingly, his defence has always been wide open. He likes to leave his hands low and rely on reflex and head-movement to avoid punches but he simply is not quick enough to prevent each one from landing. There was always the suspicion that sooner or later a natural boxer would outclass him and while Andre Dirrell might have had the tools, his blueprint was found wanting, and Froch’s only loss came when he was very slightly out-fought by a rejuvenated Mikkel Kessler. To thrive in spite of these faults then is testament to how good his chin, power and heart actually are and never underestimate his ability to drag an opponent into the trenches and then maul them like a lion.

Abraham also has an iron chin – and I mean that almost literally – he has had two titanium plates and 22 screws fitted after breaking it in his first win against Edison Miranda. To actually contest eight rounds with his jaw hanging off was one of the most courageous yet gruesome sporting feats I have ever witnessed. How anyone can fail to respect him after that is beyond comprehension. The other remarkable thing about the Armenian is his bombs. Pound-for-pound, his power is up there with anybody. Abe can bang like a barn door in a gale-force wind.

Paradoxically, his crude yet extremely effective defence is both a huge strength and an Achilles’ heel. He places his gloves in front of his face like two pillars of stone and tucks his elbows against his ribs to protect the body, then presses forward like a Sherman tank until he closes his opponent down. It is next to impossible to inflict any damage on him while he is in this posture but conversely his offence is very telegraphed once he corners his man and launches a peek-a-boo bomb. If he doesn’t land then he is off-balance and ripe for the counter. He found it very difficult to hit Dirrell all night utilising this style (except for when the Matrix was on his ass) but there were tangible signs that Dirrell was tiring and beginning to struggle. This is Abraham’s game plan; he will wear you down then knock you out and he is extremely good at it.

Despite the power of both men, I do not see a stoppage occurring. Froch and Abraham simply do not get knocked out, their chins are too good. I believe the fight will be won and lost in the early rounds and that depends on who gets busy first. Froch has been known to be sluggish when the opening bell rings out but Abraham is a notorious slow starter. Time-after-time he has gifted the first half of the fight away. He cannot afford to do that here and after his struggles with Dirrell, he has vowed not to.

Whether this turns out to be the case, who can say? We’ll just have to wait and see but based on previous performances we have to assume that he will stay true to form and Froch will start brighter and thus develop a point’s lead. The other significant factor is Froch’s considerable reach advantage – this should win rounds for him.

As the fight progresses past the halfway mark, I believe Abraham will come on strong and with Froch’s wide open defence (and tiredness creeping in), he is likely to land with more regularity and make the score cards competitive. Will it be enough? I suspect not, so I predict a decision win for the Englishman.

Froch on points then, but whatever the outcome, it will be an absolute war and this sort of fight is the reason we love the sport - two warriors at the top of their game going hell-for-leather to claim the knockout. Roll on 27^th November!

Haye Shows His Human Side

David Haye has shown a rare glimpse of his human side after describing himself as ‘extremely upset’ by the brutal manner in which his former foe Enzo Maccarinelli was knocked out in the 7th round at LG Arena, Birmingham on 18th September.

Haye is possibly the biggest trash talker in boxing today. In the past he has described Nikolai Valuev as a circus freak and the ugliest man he has ever met, he has worn a t-shirt displaying both Klitschko brothers with decapitated heads, and more recently predicted his upcoming bout with Audley Harrison “will be more one-sided than a gang rape.”

So it is all the more surprising that Haye has offered only words of compassion and support to his fallen rival.

Haye was ringside when Maccarinelli was hit flush with a huge left thrown by German Alexander Frenkel. The Welshman bravely climbed off the canvas, but he was clearly out-on-his-feet, when Frenkel finished him off with another hook that savagely jarred his head back.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Haye said: “I found it extremely upsetting and sobering to watch Enzo lose like that on Saturday. Enzo is one of boxing’s true gentlemen and he’d shown a tremendous amount of guts and heart to rebound from defeat and win the European belt. I was desperate for him to win back his old world title, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

“I actually saw Enzo leave in the ambulance after the show on Saturday had ended, and it was quite an emotional sight. It was only two years ago that Enzo and I were squaring off in the biggest all-British unification match in years. We were both 27 at the time and we both had the world at our feet. I was the number one cruiserweight in the world, Enzo was number two, and we both had dreams of unifying the division.

“It just goes to show what a fickle and unfair sport this can be sometimes.”

Since Maccarinelli’s recent string of defeat’s, many fans and pundits view the Welshman as a tragicomic figure, but it wasn’t so long ago that he was viewed as good a prospect as Haye. Going into their 2008 cruiserweight match-up, the press were completely divided over the outcome.

Today the boxing world harbour more ambivalent feelings for Maccarinelli, but it’s clear that Haye still has nothing but respect for the Welshman and he pulled no punches over the inadequate performance of the referee and his corner.

He said: “I was disgusted with the way the referee and Enzo’s own corner allowed him to continue to fight on following the first knockdown on Saturday. He was hit by a huge left-hook, went down as though he’d been knocked clean out, and then somehow bravely pulled himself to his feet.

“Anybody who knows boxing – and anybody who knows Enzo – would have been aware that the fight should have been stopped immediately. He was in a far worse state following that first knockdown on Saturday than he was when I stopped him.

“However, the referee and corner stupidly allowed him to continue and we all saw what happened next. What were these people expecting Enzo to do at that stage? He was never going to turn things around in the state he was in. Everybody at ringside was shouting for the fight to be stopped, as we all knew what was about to happen.”

“His corner need to take a long, hard look at themselves and question why they let him continue trying to fight beyond that first knockdown. Boxers rely on their corner men for protection and, unfortunately, Enzo’s let him down badly on Saturday. I only hope the people around him have his best interests at heart and now guide him towards the correct decision going forward.”

Quotes like these may lead many observers to question whether Haye has turned a corner from some of his more unsavoury episodes in the past, but that’s not likely. Maccarinelli is the only big name that Haye never disrespected in the run-up to a fight and that’s probably due to the pair of them being friends. Expect normal service to be resumed when a journalist rams a microphone in Haye’s face and asks him about the Audley Harrison fight.

Andre Dirrell's Reputation in Tatters

The Super Six has been plunged into farce by Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs) crying injury in the build up to his scheduled bout with Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) on 27th November. Already blighted by withdrawals from Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17kOs) and Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KOs), this latest revelation could finally sound the death knell on the credibility of the entire tournament and raise a number of uncomfortable questions for the fighter from Flint, Michigan. Throughout the Super Six, Dirrell has courted controversy and criticism in equal measure, but to date most pundits have been prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, but now Dirrell has to accept his reputation is in tatters.

Leon Lawson Sr, Dirrell’s grandfather and trainer, has stated that the injury is from his illegal knockout by Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs). Apparently a neurologist has advised Dirrell to rest. Speaking to the Flint journal, Lawson Sr said: "It still bothers him and there are times when he just hasn't been himself. He'll get headaches. A neurologist told us that he needs to take some time off."

Does anybody buy this? Why did he not undergo a battery of tests, including neurological, before announcing the fight? Have these symptoms only now manifested as the date looms? It is a huge taboo to suggest an athlete may be faking an injury but it was patently obvious that these two fighters had no intention of getting it on – they had previously postponed the last date without selling tickets, declaring a venue or undertaking any form of promotion. Showtime actually had to threaten to sue both parties before they settled on another date and now Dirrell is injured? This is far too convenient for fans and journalist not to legitimately have the right to question whether the injury is genuine. Personally, I have grave doubts, not least because of Dirrell’s previous form in this tournament.

Going into the Super Six I didn’t know much about him and was surprised he had been selected by Showtime. I expected Carl Froch to murder him in the opening fight him but events unfolded very differently and it was both surprising and appalling. Dirrell seemed to have it all... speed, movement, footwork, and a decent shot – he even managed to wobble Froch at one point – but this was all massively overshadowed by his spoiling tactics and complete absence of conviction. He was continually running, clinching, bending-over, turning his back and complaining to the referee. It smacked of a lack of heart and despite the fight being there for the taking, he seemed unable, or unwilling, to seize the initiative and tear the belt from the champ. The judges weren’t buying it and neither was I – he lost out on a split decision.

After postponing his next bout against Abraham due to a back injury he picked up in training, the location was changed from Rancho Mirage, California to Detroit in his home state of Michigan. The fight itself was not the stinker many had feared after the Froch debacle. His negative spoiling tactics were still evident but Dirrell looked gamer, letting his hands go more often as he built up a commanding points lead. Indeed, he even managed to knock Abraham down to the canvas for the first time in his career while the Armenian was off-balance. Finally, he was looking the real deal but it would not last. As the fight unfolded into the finals rounds Abraham shrugged off his typical slow start and went head-hunting. Dirrell reverted to type, running and attempting to spoil the fight. A minute into the 11th, he was neigh-on sprinting from Abraham when a glancing blow and some water in the corner caused him to slip to his knees. Abraham impudently followed up with a seemingly light uppercut while he was still down. There was a noticeable pause of some seconds before Dirrell rolled to his back and began dramatically twitching in a prone position.

Several factors led people to question whether it was a genuine knockout. Firstly, Abraham was ratcheting up the pressure and was looking for that big knockout-punch while it seemed Dirrell was beginning to struggle, there was also the opinion that he previously displayed a lack of heart and conviction against Froch, but perhaps foremost to the smoking-gun crowd was the fact that Dirrell won the fight after being deemed unfit to continue due to a foul – it sure beat having that Armenian powerhouse trying to take his head clean-off his shoulders for another five minutes.

Personally, I was not prepared to go along with that viewpoint, I simply attributed the knock-out to low punch-resistance – and I still do - but Dirrell is not doing himself or his legacy any favours with this fresh controversy.

So where do we go from here?

The best course of action for the Super Six would be to arrange a tune-up for Ward, while Froch and Abraham settle who has the right to face him in the final. Of course this will not happen, Showtime and the promoters will attempt to ring every last penny from this moribund tournament by replacing the latest drop-out with more sub-par fodder ala Glen Johnson (50-14-2, KOs 34).

As for Dirrell, I hope that Showtime commissions an independent neurologist to examine his injury and if he is given a clean bill of health, I hope they sue him for every penny he’s got. I have never publicly considered that an athlete may have faked an injury - and I hope I never do again - but this whole episode stinks to high-heaven. There is something truly rotten in the state of Michigan and it is a microcosm of everything that is wrong with boxing. Whether Dirrell can restore his reputation is open to debate but right now his stock could not be lower.

Amir Khan not interested in HBO 'Super Six' style Tournament

Amir Khan (23-1-0) has scuppered a HBO plan to create a ‘Super Six’ style tournament at junior welterweight according to promoter Gary Shaw.

Shaw, who represents Timothy Bradley (26-0-0), revealed his man wanted to participate as did Don King’s fighter Devon Alexander (21-0-0).

Despite the large sums of money on offer, Khan was reportedly not interested. Nor were other HBO targets Victor Ortiz (27-2-1), Marcos Maidana (29-1-0) and Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1).

Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer is reported to have said: "No, (Amir) Khan doesn't want to fight this one, and (Victor) Ortiz doesn't want to fight this one.”

Shaw believes they should have gone ahead with the tournament without them.

Speaking to Leave it in the Ring, he said: "The only people who are in total control, are HBO and Showtime because they have the platform and they have the money. What they should have said to Richard Schaefer is 'we have no use for Ortiz, Maidana and Khan. When they're ready to fight the best fights out there with the best fighters, then come back and we'll put them on HBO."

With such marquee names in the frame, boxing fans will be sorely disappointed that HBO were unable to make the tournament a reality.